Public Policy 2010

[PublicPolicy2010]

Hi All,

I need some help deciding if my choices for MPP programs are on the right lines.

My Background

Undergraduate : Electronics Engineering ( India )

Graduate: Masters in Electrical Engineering

(top 10 university in US)

Work ex: including internships, 2.5 years in reputed tech firms

Interested in Public Policy because of experiences in developing economics (read India)

Volunteered off and on for NGOs in US and India

Additional Course work: couple of courses related to development and macroeconomics

Interested in technology and development from the perspective of a developing country. I am looking for MPP programs with international focus which can eventually place me in organizations that work in emerging economies.

The programs I am looking at are

MPP Goldman School UCB

MPP Maxwell

MPA Development Practices SIPA Columbia

HKS MPP

I understand my transition is unconventional and I will have a good job explaining the reason for making this change. I am not sure to what extent my existing technical/analytical background will help me.

Any advise?

[pea-jay]

Im pursuing the public policy and/or urban planning degree with my undergrad in Geography and limited grad coursework in Urban Planning. I must say your background is non conventional. You will definitely need a strong statement to explain why you want to do this. ALthough I can see a perfectly cool application of science/engineering background with policy training: governmental science advisers. Most countries have them. The important part for you is your communication skills (written and spoken). What separates the pure research or technical engineer/scientist is the ability to express one's self and communicate important technical matter to NON-technical people, especially decision makers. In my mind, people who can bridge the gap between this gap are very important to the future of our technology dependent civilization.

Good luck